tnz5106

Guy's, some of you may laugh at me. But you are talking to a guy who has had 3 six speed vettes in the past 3 years. A '92 zr-1, an '05 6 mn6, and a '07 Z06. Except for the long gate and crappy old type shifters compared to the c6, the 4+3 in my '88 continues to amaze me. Here are some of the reasons why.

1) I love the way it downshifts out of overdrive when you get on it pretty hard.

2) I love the way it knows whether to go into overdrive 2nd from 1st depending on how aggressive I am driving it.

3) I love the way it goes into overdrive on its own if I am just cruising along.

4) 7 gears are better than 6!!

I know the story on the 4+3 and I used to know alot about doug nash 5 speed trannies used in racing. I know the 4+3s can give alot of trouble and I understand why gm went to the 6 speed. But I gotta tell you, except for the '80s style shifter and the long gate, this tranny is alot more fun for me than a later 6 speed.

One question though, I was under the car for the 1st time today. She only has 21k miles on her and the tranny shifts fine, but the car sat for 3 years. Is there anything special I need to do as far as service? Anything or certain driving habits I need to be concerned about?

Thanks...............

zr1fred

You like the shifting of a 4+3 better than a 6spd in a ZR-1? Did you have clutch problems? When new and working properly, the 4+3 can be fun, but........Anyway, looks like a great car, I've always liked that color by itself.

FOURSPEEDVETTE

I also have the 4+3 in mine and am happy with it. You should change your transmission fluid and filter in the overdrive unit now just for preventative maintainance. Do not use synthetic fluid in it. Check your fluid level in the gear oil and differential unit. Change it if you want, but it is not neccessary. When you put the transmission cover back on, don't use the gasket. Use a sealer called "The Right Stuff". It won't leak a drop! Wait until your car is at about 180 degrees before you try to engage the overdrive as it won't operate until the car is warmed up. Be sure to ALWAYS use the clutch to engage or disengage the overdrive as this will make the shifting very easy on the transmission. One thing alot of people try to do is speed shift into overdrive. It was never designed for that, so it's best to use it as a highway overdrive only. These were a very good transmission only most people never knew how to use or take care of them, so they just assumed they were no good.

rodj

http://forums.corvetteforum.com/1571645223-post6.html

tnz5106

The car in my avatar is my '86 auto. My '88 is dark red metallic and its beautiful!! I will update my avatar soon................thanks for the complement!!

H P Bushrod

I've drove two 4+3 cars since I've been into Vettes. I thought it was pretty neat being in 3rd or 4th gear and the tranny downshifting automatically when you floored it. In the '80's, it was ahead of it's time.

Leftoverture

I like my 4+3 just fine, but I'd probably take a 5 or 6 speed over it. Still, people are always amazed when they ask me about the car and I tell them it's a 7 speed.

RedVette84

I always have to explain the function of the 4+3 to most folks.

slickfx3

My first 85 had the 4+3 I put in a short shifter linkage and I liked the way it shifted better than my 89 ZF6 I had today,

I hated the shifting so much in my current Vette I put in a 700r4

The Doug Nash had that hot rod feel to it

galt1074

Folks...consider me completely ignorant when it comes to cars. I'm pretty handy but just assume the worst...you are talking to your wife or something.
Can you explain to me this 4+3 thing? What does it mean and how does it work?

Sorry, I got to thinking and this is a bit of a hijacking. I'll get my answer some other way. Again, sorry about that.

slickfx3

4 speed with an overdrive behind it AKA Doug Nash, the overdrive is either on or off, when it's on it steps the revolutions downward xxx. it can be on in any of the top 3 gears that the manual 4 speed is in, hence the nomenclature 4+3

you can blow out the overdrive and still drive the car as a 4 speed manual, did it, done that.

mazdaverx7

i do like the 4+3 as a good daily driven transmission. its a trouble free trans and the o/d unit is very reliable requiring little maitenance. the throws are solid and make you feel as though you are connected to the car. the 4+3 sold me on my 84 and i love the car because of it.

Aurora40

They are neat. It's hard to imagine preferring it to the ZF, but when they work properly they aren't as bad as people make out.

I did find some of the auto shifting annoying, though. Like if it shifts out of OD on it's own, it will re-engage it at about 4,000 RPM. So I'd try to shift out manually right before hammering it, but it was sort of awkward.

And there are some odd gear ratio overlaps, like 2nd overdrive and 3rd are almost the same, as is 3rd overdrive and 4th.

pologreen1

To each his own

Redghost

My 85' has the "4 + 3", and I love it's very positive feel. The only trouble that I have had with it, is over a period of time, the seal between the main trans and the OD leaked alittle. The gear oil mixed with the trannie fluid in the OD. This caused the OD to act, shell we say,,,,,, "different". It would shift in and out of OD, without warning, when the OD switch was on. Needless to say, it was fixed,,,,,, fast.
I really love to drive this Vette, and have NO dreams of owning a newer one. Even if this one does need alittle paint and has a few spots in the interior, it still turns afew heads once in awhile.

FOURSPEEDVETTE

I find a huge difference in the ratios. I can definitely tell the difference in the high end of each gear. When shifting in 2-3-or 4th O/D just the sound and feel of each gear tells me it's gaining speed.

LD85

if I had not put a 406 in, I would still have the 4+3 in my car,,, I loved that tranny!

I had a ZF and although the tranny itself is great, the noise, limited clutch options, and other issues made me dislike it.

Pwnage1337

This is probably the first thread I have ever read that claims somebody likes their 4 + 3. I've never experienced one in all of their magnificent glory, but I want to lol

Chuck Tribolet

I've got one in my '87. I'd like it to be a 4+1 (OD in
fourth only, and only if you've been kinda cruising for
15 seconds or so). I like to row the shifter.

But I understand the reasons it's programmed the
way it is (meeting gas mileage requirements on the
Fed's test criteria).

I've spent some time staring at the schematics, and
short of reprogramming the electronics, I don't see a
way to make it a 4+1.

USAsOnlyWay

I like the 4+3 and like the selection of ODs to choose from but I like it much more in the current state where I manually engage and disengage OD. So at this point it really is a 7 speed. (I do wish I had a physical lock of which gear it is in (aka 6spd), rather than an electronic button though...)